Pesto, Passion & Pier Carlo : A Genuine Genova (Genoa) Feast at Il Genovese
By Artviva – The Most Recommended Luxury Tour Company in Italy
If you want to understand Italian food, start in Genova—or Genoa, as it’s called in English. This ancient port city is more than just a maritime marvel. It’s a cradle of culinary tradition, a city that hums with the scent of basil, olive oil, and salt air.
And when you’re traveling with someone who grew up here, who was raised on homemade pesto and market-fresh vegetables, you get a taste of the real thing. Join us on a journey at Best restaurant Genova Il Genovese.
Pier Carlo Testa, director of Artviva and native of Genova, knows this food like he knows his family stories—because they’re intertwined. Taught to cook by his mother and grandmother, he carries that tradition forward in how he experiences, explores, and shares Italy’s food culture. So when we visited Ristorante Il Genovese, just steps from the Mercato Orientale, we weren’t just having lunch. We were taking part in a culinary ritual.
Before Lunch: Genoa’s Central Market Magic
No trip to Genova should begin without a slow stroll through the Mercato Orientale, the city’s bustling central market. Across the street from Il Genovese, this is where local chefs, grandmothers, and home cooks shop for the day’s freshest ingredients. Basil with leaves no bigger than a thumbnail. Ligurian lemons. Fragole (strawberries) still warm from the sun.
The market speaks the language of seasonality—and it’s a language Artviva listens to carefully. Whether it’s a cooking class in Tuscany or a truffle hunt in the hills, our food tours are shaped by what’s growing, what’s fresh, and what’s ready now.
Lunch at Best restaurant in Genova: Il Genovese: A Celebration of Ligurian Tradition
Il Genovese is one of those places you might miss if you didn’t know better. No flashy signs, no tourist menus—just honest Ligurian cooking in a space that’s fed Genovese families for over a century. Our lunch was a parade of Ligurian classics—each dish deeply rooted in place, season, and memory.
Trofie al Pesto: Liguria’s Signature Dish
This is where it all begins. Twisted, hand-rolled trofie pasta, tossed with Pesto Genovese that sings with the sharp green perfume of fresh basil, Ligurian olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and a delicate blend of Parmigiano and Pecorino. At Il Genovese, the pesto is still made the traditional way—in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle. No blenders, no shortcuts. The result is a sauce that coats each trofie perfectly: velvety, pungent, and impossibly fresh.
Pansoti con Salsa di Noci: Wild Herbs and Walnut Bliss
Next came pansoti, Liguria’s elegant answer to ravioli—filled with foraged greens and herbs, bound with ricotta, and cloaked in a creamy walnut sauce. The salsa di noci, made from soaked walnuts, garlic, milk, and local olive oil, is rustic and refined at once. A perfect balance to the bitterness of wild greens. Pansoti are a springtime classic in Genova, tied to the foraging tradition of the Ligurian hills. Their simplicity belies the complexity of flavor—a true regional gem.
Cima alla Genovese: Liguria’s Stuffed Masterpiece
Cima is one of Genova’s most historic dishes, a celebratory staple once made for Easter, weddings, and big family feasts. It’s a veal breast, butterflied, filled with a savory stuffing—eggs, cheese, pine nuts, herbs, and sometimes greens—then sewn shut and simmered gently. When sliced, it reveals a mosaic of textures and colors. At Il Genovese, the cima was delicate, moist, and deeply satisfying. This is not everyday food. This is food that tells a story.
Fried Vegetables and Tripe: A Perfect Crunch and a Tender Heart
The fritto misto of the day included tender strips of tripe and slices of seasonal vegetables, all fried in a light batter until golden. The tripe was tender and flavorful—crispy at the edges, creamy in the center—while the vegetables brought lightness and variety. A dish that surprises and comforts all at once.
Cavolo Nero: Pan-Fried and Soulful
Served on the side was a plate of pan-fried black cabbage (cavolo nero), gently wilted in olive oil and garlic until its bitter edges mellowed into sweetness. It was deeply flavorful—earthy, a little smoky, and a reminder that sometimes the simplest ingredients make the best impressions.
Dolce Finale: Strawberries and Gelato
Dessert was as seasonal as it gets: fresh spring strawberries and handmade gelato, served without fuss or flourish. The fruit was perfectly ripe—sweet, fragrant, alive. The gelato melted slowly into the juice. Nothing more was needed. This is the Italian philosophy at its best: buy the best, do the least, let nature shine.
What “0 km” Really Means in Italy
A term you’ll often see on Italian menus is “0 km”—or “zero kilometre”—and it’s not a trend. It’s a mindset. A commitment to using only local ingredients, grown or raised as close as possible to where they’re prepared. At Il Genovese, this means shopping across the street at the Mercato Orientale, choosing in-season fruit, and honoring traditions that evolved to match what the land naturally provides. Strawberries in April. Wild greens in spring. Pesto only when the basil is tender and fragrant.
Eating like this isn’t just more delicious—it’s more sustainable, more ethical, and more real. It’s also the foundation of how Artviva curates our food experiences across Italy.
Artviva’s Difference: Local Knowledge, Generational Wisdom
When you travel with Artviva, you travel with people who live here, who’ve grown up among these flavors, who understand that food is culture, history, geography, and love—all on a plate.
Pier Carlo Testa, having been taught to cook by his grandmother and mother, brings a depth of knowledge that can’t be trained or faked. That same philosophy shapes every food and wine tour we offer—from Florence to Palermo.
We don’t just show you restaurants. We share the roots behind the recipes.
10 Irresistible Artviva Food & Wine Experiences
Let your journey through Italy’s food culture begin with one of our authentic culinary adventures:
1. Lunch & Winery Tour at a Noble Tuscan Estate
Dine at the Corsini family’s estate with guided wine tastings and a gourmet meal.
2. Florentine Steak Experience: Private Dinner & Tasting
Enjoy an authentic bistecca fiorentina and learn the history behind Tuscany’s most famous cut.
3. Vegan Pasta & Wine Class in Florence
A plant-based pasta-making class with local organic ingredients and wine.
4. Private Cooking Class in a Tuscan Villa
Learn Tuscan recipes with a private chef in a beautiful countryside villa.
5. Chianti Wine & Cheese Tasting Tour
Taste your way through small producers in the Chianti hills.
6. White Truffle Hunt & Lunch in Tuscany
Join a truffle hunter and enjoy a seasonal tasting menu based on your finds.
7. Florence Artisan Gelato & Coffee Walk
Sample the best small-batch gelato and espresso in Florence.
8. Market-to-Table Tour in Florence
Shop with a chef in the market, then cook and eat together.
9. Gourmet Transfer: Florence to Rome with Food Stops
Make your transfer a culinary adventure with stops for cheese, wine, or olive oil.
10. Sicilian Street Food Tour
Discover the bold flavors and vibrant markets of Palermo on foot.
See the Full Video Review
Want to hear directly from Pier Carlo and see the dishes yourself?
Watch our full YouTube review and market visit here:
Travel with Taste. Travel with Artviva.
Whether it’s pesto in Genova or truffles in Tuscany, Artviva brings you to the heart of Italy’s food culture—with the people who know it best.
Book your food & wine tour now and experience the real flavors of Italy with the insiders.
Explore all Artviva culinary experiences here
Buon appetito!
Il Genovese:
Phone: +39 010 869 2937
Website: https://www.ilgenovese.com/
Address: Via Galata, 35r, 16121 Genova GE, Italy
